2 BAC / UNIT 4 / READING Instr.

Tsouli khalid

[ 1 ] Civil associations , governmental , and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are mainly concerned with achieving
the goals of sustainable development. Some of them are sponsored by the government ; others are financially independent
from any governmental support. Such organizations play an important role in empowering youth and women . They also seek to
support poor and disadvantaged people in the economic, social, educational fields , and to protect the environment.

[ 2 ] In the economic field, these organizations create job opportunities for women and young people. They give them
financial aid in the form of micro-credits. They also help them start their own businesses and enterprises, and train them to
invest their money in the best ways possible. In other words, their main goal is to reduce poverty and unemployment rates ,
especially in rural areas. In the process, they certainly help and guide current generations to contribute to the economic
development of their country on a larger scale.

[ 3 ] Socially, they work on improving the status and situation of women in society so as to achieve social justice and
establish gender equality, between men and women. Therefore, a major part of their plan is to increase literacy rates among
women by promoting literacy programs and non-formal education. In addition, they provide other essential services such as
health care, running water, and electrification of rural areas to stop villagers from leaving their villages in search of better life
conditions in urban or big cities. Moreover, members of these organizations work really hard to eliminate some negative cultural
behaviors like discrimination, stereotype, crimes, extremism, and violence.

[ 4 ] As for the environmental aspect, both governmental and non-governmental organizations do a lot to conserve natural
resources for future generations and reduce pollution by sensitizing people about the toxic danger of litter and trash. They also
launch programs to preserve water, plant trees, take care of public gardens, and protect some endangered animals from
extinction. Their role, therefore, is so important that most of the projects connected to sustainable development are based on
their success and perseverance.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

1. What does “NGOs ” stand for ?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. What are the domains that the organizations mention in the text try to improve ?
……………………………………………….……………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………..

3. Who are the people targeted specifically by these organizations ?

……………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………….………..

4. How are some of these people encouraged economically ?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………..

5. Are all of these organization created and supported by the government ?

……………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………..

6. What kind of social problems do these organizations try to put an end to?
……………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………..

7. What do governmental and non-governmental organizations do to solve environmental problems ?

……………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………..

8. Find in the text words or phrases that mean

The same as : The opposite of :
- domains (prg 1) = …………………………………………………………. - urban parts ( prg 2) # ………………………….….………………….
- basic needs ( prg 3) =……………………………….……………………. - failure ( prg 4) # ……………………….…………………..………...….
9. What do the underlined words refer to in the text ?
others : ……………………………………………………………. their : ………………………………………………….
10. If you were a member of an NGO what other fields or issues would you suggest your organization should work on to
achieve the goals of sustainable development in your country ? What solutions would you suggest ?

Issue / Problem Solution